On a Bloody Trail
by Aldriem
Summary: Leo was hoping he'd have just another one of his normal days but when Chain Sumeragi goes missing during an undercover op, Leo, Zapp and Klaus must go in after her in order to find out where she is and just what was it that made her break contact...? Unknown to them, something far worse awaits them in the underbellies of Jerusalem's Lot, something they've never faced before.
1. Just another Normal Day

On a Bloody Trail

-A _Kekkai Sensen_ Fanfiction

Chapter 1: _Just_ _another "Normal" Day_

The morning sun shone down on Jerusalem's Lot and its awe-inspiringly varied population of Humans and Beyondians on their way to work or just someplace. A most disharmonious mingling of chatter, car-horns and the occasional screeches and shouts gave Jerusalem's Lot its everyday homely feeling and while for a few citizens this was but a hellish nightmare from which they had yet to recover, for the rest, this was home.

Leonard Watch is a unique character who belongs to neither category instead stuck somewhere in between where he's still trying to accept this gruesome reality that is this megalopolis while trying to live his life normally.

"One large burger, and a medium Coke, please." He ordered as a normal person would adding a wide smile as he squinted at the blonde-haired waitress who smiled back at him while nodding briskly.

"Be right back with your order…!" She replied tearing off the page from her notepad and walking off to the back of the Diner.

Dianne's Diner was one of those places where Leo could feel at home and was his first place in the morning where he would grab a bite and then head on.

Vivian was back shortly and in her hand was a tray with Leo's order on it.

"So, what's up…?" she asked leaning forward on the counter as Leo thanked her and went for his burger. "You're up early today. Somewhere special you're going…?"

"What… Who me…?" Leo answered before he took a bite out of the burger. "No, well Mr. Klaus called me up in the morning and said he wanted meet me as soon as possible, that's all."

The diner door burst open as a lean, tall man dressed in white trousers and wearing a white jacket strutted in and walked up to where Leo was sitting.

"Hey dumbass, the boss called us in early, ya'know…?" Zapp was as lively as ever. "Come on."

"Hey Zapp, what's the…" Leo turned and saw Zapp's face bandaged. "Did you try to…?"

"Ah shut up…! It's just a scratch. Now get your ass off that seat and let's go…!"

Something was off. Leo could sense a hint of agitation in Zapp's voice, something he'd only sensed very rarely in the past. He decided not to argue any further.

"O-Okay. Vivian, pack the Coke, please. I gotta go…!"

The cool wind was bracing as Leo weaved through the traffic, his Lambretta seeming like an ant passing between rocks. Zapp sat quiet behind him, something he never used to do.

"So… wanna tell me what's up…?" Leo enquired but Zapp did not answer.

 _Is it that serious_? Leo wondered. _I'd better get there faster._

He revved the engine making the scooter go faster. If something had Zapp worried, then it sure as hell was something big.

The Libra HQ had this air of solemnity around it which seemed to have been broken only by the entrance of Leo and Zapp both of whom had worried looks on their faces.

Klaus Von Reinhertz was at his usual place behind his desk where he usually sat reviewing case-files or playing _Prosfair_ on his machine. To his right stood Dr. Steven who looked out the window, his back towards the room and Gilbert stood at his usual place near the sofa situated towards the center of the room. K.K. was seated on one of the sofas, her back towards the two.

At the far end, near the bookcase stood Zed, the merman and Zapp's fellow disciple.

"Mr. Klaus, I came here as soon as… wait…" Leo stopped as soon as he noticed what about the room was off. Chain Sumeragi, the invisible werewolf and one of the core members was missing.

"Where's Miss Chain…?"

There was a brief silence.

"Leo," Klaus pushed back his chair and stood up, "We have a big problem."

"P-Problem…?" Leo was worried now.

"To put it simply, Miss Chain is missing." Steven answered any doubts still lingering as he finally turned around to face Leo.

"What… How…? I mean, what happened to her…?" Leo further enquired. This was serious, none of their members had gone missing in the past.

"We're still trying to gather all the information regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.

"Lucky" Abrams is on it and we should be having a substantial amount of information any minute now." Klaus informed them. "I want everyone to hang around till I start with the briefing."

The room returned to as it was before Leo and Zapp came in.

Concern clear on his face, Leo turned around to find Zapp still standing there, his face red with frustration.

 _I understand what he must be feeling_ , Leo thought. _Even if these two hate their guts, they're still team-mates._

"So that's what you were worried about all morning." Leo spoke in a low voice.

"Hm…?" Zapp looked at him.

"You were worried about Chain-san, right…?" Leo asked him. "I am sure she's fine."

Before Zapp could answer, an outlandish blue head with a texture so clear one might mistake it for pudding and with antennas on the forehead thrust itself in the space between the two.

"Actually," Zed began in his near-monotonous voice. "Last night, during one of his many pointless engagements with a woman he'd picked up from the street, it appears he was unsuccessful in pleasing her, a first if you ask me."

"Hey Zed, you idiot-"

"As a result, she insulted his manhood calling it nothing more but an immature cucumber that can never bloom. Zapp here was drunk and he is not a good drinker, he insulted the woman back and so he took a beating from that woman and then cried to me on the phone for hours when I finally had to call Mr. Steven. I believe he sorted it out."

"It's true." Steven called out from his end of the room as K.K. let out a crowing laughter that filled the hall within minutes.

"I'LL KILL YA, ZED…! YA HEAR ME….?! You're fried tuna, you retard….! Who said you could spew that out here…?" Zapp went into a rage and started chasing after Zed who was faster and the two started running circles around the room screaming at each other.

Leo sighed. This was just another normal day for him.


	2. The Rescue Party

Chapter 2: The Rescue Party

"Why don't you take off your pants and show us if you're even a man, huh…?" Zapp demanded pointing a finger at his fellow disciple.

"Is that a challenge…?" Zed asked, ever so unshaken.

"Yes it is…!"

"Well you just chose the wrong weapon to challenge me with."

 _Weapon_ , Leo slapped his palm on his face as he thought. _Are these guys seriously fighting over who has a bigger…_

Leo was sitting on the sofa playing with Sonic, his speed-of-sound monkey while the members waited for "Lucky" Abrams to relay what info he'd gathered on Chain's operation and its status.

 _I hope she's okay_ , Leo thought, a frown on his face.

Shortly after, Steven's cellphone started ringing and he took it. Everyone quieted down as Steven listened to whoever was talking on the other end, quite obviously Mr. Abrams with his information and it was after a good 30 minutes that the man finally shut his cellphone and turned to regard the members.

"Mr. Abrams has given me some essential information and I think it's important that everyone hear me out regardless of who Mr. Klaus picks to go in after Chain. Here goes…"

"For those who don't know, Chain Sumeragi was charged with infiltrating the Gorner Headhunters mafia hideout located in southern reaches of Jerusalem's Lot. The Gorner Headhunters are a pair of vicious Beyonders who've been running their mafia chain for a very long time and it was their father who originally established the setup hoping to make that area their territory. Just as we keep tabs on every mafia family we know now and then, we'd been keeping an eye on them, though not as much as the infamous 1000 Yakuza Brothers. A few days ago, while I was probing deeper trying to find their deal, I landed upon something unusual. These guys have been dealing in some substance for the past couple of weeks, shipping packets of this strange stuff around the city-"

"Wait a minute," it was Zapp who cut him off in between, "Everyone ships around this kind of stuff in a rotten city like this. Check every back-alley and someone or the other is doing something. Nothing suspicious about it."

"You're right, Zapp." Steven continued. "Except… we tracked down the addresses to which this stuff was being shipped and you won't believe what we found out."

"Whatever this substance is, ingesting it gives the user special abilities," Mr. Klaus stood up from his seat and walked around the table to stand beside Steven, "People started developing super-strength, increased agility and they even started experiencing physical changes."

"We had to call in Doug Hummer in order to help put these guys down before the Headhunters realised something was up and they stopped their trade. We decided it was our turn to make a move and so we picked out the only one who had the maximum amount of experience with stealth and blending-"

"NOT Chain Sumeragi…!" Zapp held up one finger and flicked it as he said these words, as if making a statement.

"Huh…?" Leo scratched his head in confusion.

"What…?" Zed joined him, tilting his head in confusion.

"It was Chain Sumeragi." Klaus finished, unaffected by Zapp's interruption.

"Aw come on, are you kidding me…?! You can smell that bitch from miles away, she stinks of dog poo. There's no way she didn't get caught the minute she stepped in." Zapp argued.

"Actually, she maintained her cover for a good 5 days before she broke contact, a first in her mission." Klaus continued, a hint of a smile on his otherwise stoic face.

"So what did Mr. Abrams tell you…?" Leo turned to Steven.

"I am coming to that. Lucky Abrams went after her yesterday and scoured that area from every nook to every cranny and he ended up with…" Steven paused.

"Up with…?"

"Yeah, up with what…?"

"... A perfectly sound beating, except he was saved from a worse fate when a truck crashed into his assailants allowing him to afford a quick escape." Steven

 _Sounds like something that'll happen to him_ , Leo thought as he sighed.

 _Sounds like something that'll happen around him_ , Zapp thought, disbelief clear on his face.

"As such, Chain is nowhere at any of her usual haunts or locations where from she used to contact us which leaves us with only place. _Inside the hideout_."

There was a long silence during which, the only sound was that of Sonic squeaking on top of Leo's head.

"Aw come on…!" Zapp shouted out. "Should be a piece o' cake. Right, Leo…?"

The stylish silver-painted car halted in front of a skyscraper, one of many making up the skylines of Jerusalem's Lot and yet there was something different about this one, something sinister. For one, all of the windows were shattered and the concrete was breaking off at several places but the one thing that was most disturbing was that there was a loud, creaking sound that seemed to be emanating from the building itself and the fact that the sound was not consistent and varied in long and short gaps was even more unsettling.

"It's like this thing's alive," Leo climbed out of the car and put on his goggles. "Scary…"

"There's a lot of such anomalies all across Jerusalem's Lot," Klaus began as he climbed out after Leo. "Take the Howler's Building for example, it's a 60 storeyed-building with just one lift and no staircases. No one lives there. The story goes that people go into that elevator but no one's ever come out. The building chews you up. Literally"

"How do you know this story…?" Zapp demanded, the last one to climb out of the car, indignation clear on his face as he'd been dragged along.

"'Cuz I've been there and out. Alive."

 _This man is scary_ , Leo thought, a shiver travelling down his spine. Sonic shivered on top of his left shoulder.

"Let's go."

The three walked in through what seemed to have been glass doors in the past, though only remnants were what remained today. Inside, the lobby was pitch black and not a light peeked around any corner except for the shallow moonlight that crept in through the entrance allowing for just a few metres of blurred visibility after which darkness took over. Debris was strewn across the floor accompanied by junk. Torn newspapers and crushed tin cans were all that were there.

"Hey, what was that…!" Zapp jerked back looking up at the ceiling of the lobby where a half-destroyed chandelier hung from a rotting anchor through a chain most of which was in the darkness and could not be seen clearly.

"Hm…? That's just a chandelier swinging in the breeze, Zapp-san. Nothing to be afraid of." Leo looked at Zapp.

"No, you idiot. There's something on the chandelier, it's-"

With a slight warning, the anchor tore off from the ceiling and the chandelier dropped caught immediately in the clutches of gravity, straight towards Zapp.

"Zapp….!" Klaus shouted before pushing the man aside and jumping back out of the way moments before the heavy chandelier crashed onto the floor in a whirlwind of dust.

"Woah…! Thanks boss…!" Zapp said, scratching the back of his head as he stood up.

"Are you two alright…?" Klaus enquired helping Leo up, for the shock had caused him to lose his footing.

"Yeah."

Immediately, Leo took off his goggles and looked up at the ceiling opening his eyes to the fullest.

The All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods took effect immediately and Leo's otherworldly bluish-cyan eyes lit up to show him what normal humans could never see.

"Hm. There's nothing on the ceiling, or nothing that my eyes can show me. If Zapp-san did see something, it's gone now."

"We need to stay alert. Let's keep going. Chain said that the hideout is located in the lower levels of the building. We'll take the stairs."

Mr. Klaus led them to the right of the lobby past the reception which was empty, devoid of any presence but the remains of the junk suggested heavy traffic of people at one time. Leo wanted to ask but he refrained from opening his mouth for fear that any sound might draw forth enemies.

The three weren't met with anymore opposition as they reached the main stairs. The stairs leading up were blocked by heaps of debris making them inaccessible whereas the stairs leading down were clean, a bit too clean to have belonged to such a building which was in a stage of desertion.

"We're on the right track. This way's been used all too frequently." Leo observed.

"You're right." Klaus agreed as he started first on his way down.

"What do you guys see…? I don't see shit here." Zapp added squinting around in the darkness although his eyes had started to adjust.

The creaking was all that broke the silence now and then as they climbed down all the way to the bottom whereupon they discovered that there were no more stairs leading down and in front of them was a long hallway leading into darkness.

"Chain said it'll be like this. We just need to reach the end of this hallway to-"

Wait… Did you hear that…?" Leo was the one to interrupt them.

"Now you're acting all creepy," Zepp said. "I didn't hear anything."

"No wait, he's right. I did hear something. Coming from the end of the gallery." Klaus raised his hand to quiet down Zapp.

For a moment there was silence and then, a tremor shook the floor, then another, then another.

A low screech followed the tremors followed by a louder scream, a human scream that grew louder by the second. Then it quieted down but the tremors kept on and horrifyingly enough, their frequency started increasing at an alarming rate and growing stronger.

"What the fuck…" Zapp squinted into the darkness of the hallway trying to make out anything he could see.

"It's something big. Very big." Klaus took a step back as he reached into his pocket.

Suddenly, the tremors stopped. Completely. Silence reigned once more in that moment.

"Oh god…" a weak moan let itself out from Klaus' right. It was Leo.

Leo had his eyes fully open and with the additional runed circles now floating in front of them. As Klaus looked at him, he noticed Leo's face changing from that of fear to that of panic and within seconds, terror was clearly etched on his face.

"Oh my god…"

"What is it…? Leo, what do you see…?" Klaus demanded, raising his voice as he grabbed Leo by his left shoulder.

"You idiot, tell us already. What the fuck do you see…?" Zapp started shouting.

A strong tremor shook the floor as Leo raised his hand and pointed into the darkness in front of them, his hand shaking uncontrollably.

"It's right there…" he moaned.

"What is…?" Klaus looked at Leo, then at the darkness.

Another tremor, then another.

"It's coming…"


	3. Conflict

**Author's Rant:** _Hello Readers, Aldriem here...! It's good to see that so many are taking interest in this fanfic. Thanks for supporting me, it keeps me motivated and on account of my late update which I am terribly sorry for, I decided to bring you guys an extra long chapter after last chapter's cliffhanger(if you could call it that)._

 _Anyways, just a not about the time duration during which the events of this story are taking place. You might have seen a mention of the 1000 Yakuza Brothers but the fact is, the story is based before the events of that episode. It's somewhere between Zed's joining and the Lunch Break Rush episode. The reason for me picking this time-span is because the anime hasn't concluded yet and I didn't want to go off on anything that I was not sure would possibly happen in the finale._

 _One more thing, for those of you wondering why "White" hasn't been mentioned so far, I'd like to say that I won't be mentioning her in my works before the finale is released. I want to get a full scope on her personality(the finale is very important for this aspect) before I can think of how best to introduce her to the events of this story and if I can't, then I am sorry, she won't be appearing in this story. Maybe in my future fanfics._

 _In any case, enough talk, I won't be holding you back any further. Do let me know if you have any questions or would like to review generally. Thanks again. Cheers...!_

 **Chapter 3:** Conflict

 _10 days ago..._

The metallic door clanged open as a putrid stench of rotting flesh and blood filled the air. A white gloved hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed at the door frame as a hunched figure staggered out of the dark room holding the door frame for support.

"Sir, are you alright…?" A man wearing a gas mask and a brown overcoat walked up to him. "Sir…?"

"Mister Gorner…?"

The figure slowly raised his head and looked at the other man standing in front of him. As more of his face became visible, the man with the gas mask started backing off slowly, his frame shaking in terror as he staggered back.

"You… You're not-"

 _SCHLIKT._

The man was dead in a second as his masked head rolled on the floor and his body collapsed.

"Wh… What a rush…!" He whispered in ecstasy as he pulled out a white gas mask and put it on.

"Hello world."

The younger brother was Cakhan Khem Harrakhkan or as he had taken to call himself, Kevin Gorner and while he was younger, he admittedly was the brain of the whole setup that the Gorner Headhunters had created for themselves here in the Headhunter Lair which was as big as the southern district of Jerusalem's Lot and located right under it. The elder brother, Devin Gorner was painfully dumb and with his huge body and his position as the right hand man, he took care of the muscle. This was one of those cases where Beyonders had established considerable control over some part of the city, much like Don Arlelelle had done for himself in the alterworld, the only difference being the gap in power between the two Mob families.

Presently, Kevin Gorner sat in his hovering Isolation Sphere meditating as his many tails, each of which had a brain of its own on top of being brimmed with razor sharp spikes were doing his jobs for him. Some of them were arranging his export reports while the others were monitoring the screens to see how everything was faring in other parts of the hideout and still others were working with alchemical stones and potions at the far reaches of the room. Everything was in order, as it should be, except, the dumb elder brother who had left the room approximately an hour ago promising to return in five minutes had not done so. This tiny bit of chaos in his otherwise perfect routine was making him restless beyond help and greatly disrupting his concentration.

The door opened and in walked Devin Gorner, wearing his white mask and dusting his white overcoat as he closed the office door behind him.

"Who are you…?" Kevin started, opening one of his 10 eyes and looking directly at the person who'd just entered his office.

"What do you mean…?" Devin asked, confusion in his voice.

Five of the tentacles whipped from their usual spots and lashed at Devin aiming straight for his head.

"Tch…!" Devin muttered as he tore off his gloves and in the blink of an eye, sliced four of the five tentacles barely missing the last one which knocked the mask off of his face.

Kevin's Isolation Sphere dissipated into thin air as the younger brother dropped to the ground, crouching as he backed away into the far reaches of the office away from this abomination that had made its appearance known.

"I don't… believe it…" Kevin uttered as all of his eyes widened in terror for the man behind the mask was not his brother but a creature of a world he'd thought long dead and he was wearing his brother's skin.

"I believe you illegally traffic things across this city, am I right…?" "Devin" enquired in a calm, sing-song voice.

"What… What do you want…?" Kevin asked, trembling with fear. "P...Please don't kill me."

"Oh, don't you worry. I won't kill you… Yet. You are of the utmost importance to me for the coming few months. Now, I need you to do me a small favour."

He smiled.

 _ **Present Day**_

The Gorner Headhunters were just a myth when they initially made their territory here in Jerusalem's Lot, a figment of people's imagination, a story mothers would tell their children to get them to sleep. It was said that at exactly 11:59 PM every Friday night, screams could be heard all over the southern outskirts of the city and that any stragglers lurking around that location would be found lying around next morning devoid of their heads.

The screams, they said were the undead Headhunters coming back to life every night only to slaughter and kill those who were unaware of their presence so that before dawn struck, they could return to their graves in a shroud of red fog, lying in wait for a week.

"Part of the legend is true, y'know…?" Steven said turning away from the window and slowly pacing over to the sofa where K.K. sat smoking, her eyes closed.

"How long have you been around Jerusalem's Lot, coldie…?" K.K. asked dousing the lit cigarette in the ashtray as she turned to face Steven whose right eyebrow was twitching for reasons that the lady hadn't grasped, yet.

"Well, long enough to know most of its legends, but I haven't faced even half of them during my tenure as a Libra member. Mr. Klaus however, is a different kind. I don't get how he can keep his cool in some of the most nerve-wracking situations that we've found ourselves in since we came to this city. That man's in a different league."

K.K. burst out into one of her cackling laughters which was loud enough to make Zed drop the book he was reading at the back of the room near the bookshelf.

"That's a talent he has," K.K. began, waving her hand, "Klaus has always been like that, poker-faced. I don't blame you for not having caught on, even with your position as his right-hand man. It took me the better part of my career as a Libra agent to understand him, you know…?"

"I am not sure I get you." Steven had a look of confusion on his face as he shifted closer to K.K., clearly interested in what she had started.

"You know, he might look like he has nerves of steel and a scary image as is worthy of a leader, but inside, he's just as scared as us, maybe more."

"Why's that…?"

"Well isn't it obvious, aside from leading us, he has a responsibility to protect us, to look after us as a family. That face of his was never any good when it comes to showing expressions, but I believe that's for the best. He's cool that way."

"Heh. As expected. A damn good leader." Steven sighed turning away and crossing his legs as he rested his head on his shoulders and looked up.

"Look after him, Zapp, and Leo." Steven whispered to himself. "Especially you, Leo."

Klaus pulled out his customised knuckleduster which was shaped like a cross and wore it on his left hand taking a battle stance. Next to him, Zapp pulled out his lighter and prepared himself. Between these two stood Leo, his eyes closed as he cooled down.

"Any time now, Leo…!" Zapp cautioned, his eyes looking into the darkness as the whole floor shook from whatever was coming towards them.

"Ready…!" Leo shouted.

"Now, do it…!" Klaus ordered tensing his legs.

Almost immediately, Leo's eyes flew open revealing the blue underneath as the runed circles appeared before his eyes. Within another second, the same runed circles popped up in front of Klaus' and Zapp's eyes too. This was one of Leo's abilities which branched from his All-Seeing Eyes of the Gods and it allowed him to temporarily project his uncanny visual-range onto his targets letting them see what Leo could see.

"What the fuck…! WHAT THE FUCK…!" Zapp screamed as he gazed for the first time at what stood before them, and fearfully close too.

"Unbelievable…" Klaus muttered as his eyes too were peeled. "We can't fight this here…"

"Guys… my eyes are heating up. I gotta close them soon. Do something" Leo spoke breaking the two out of their terror trance.

Klaus grabbed Leo and hoisted him into a position where he could still see ahead. "Zapp, on my mark…!"

"O… Okay..!"

The creature screamed, a human scream that tore through the floor and resonated all throughout the building.

"Go…!"

At the same time, both of them charged straight into the darkness and at the creature.

"You'd better have a plan boss 'cuz I don't wanna' die shitting my pants…!" Zapp screamed as he ran full-speed.

"Now, slide…!" Klaus shouted as the both of them bent their knees and lowered their bodies at the same time slid right under the creature's belly.

"Zapp…!"

Zapp's face regained its composure as he flicked the vial stopper on his lighter letting out the blood that was inside.

" _Blade Form One,_ _ **Homuramaru**_ … _!_ "

Upon contact with the air, the blood twisted and turned reshaping itself into a blade which then was thrust straight up into the creature's belly by Zapp shredding its belly into pieces as the two of them emerged out from under it still maintaining their high velocities.

"Nicely done, Zapp-san." Leo praised him looking back at the creature which let out a blood-curdling howl.

"You idiot, look ahead…! I can't see. Close your god-damned eyes, wouldya'...?" Zapp flailed around as he ran, Leo's vision of the creature still being projected onto his eyes.

"Oh, sorry…!" Leo closed his eyes once again drowning all three in complete darkness.

"Thanks bud," Zapp started as he slowed down to a jog. "Time for some finishing touches."

"What do you mean…?" Leo asked.

"Ever heard of the… _Seventh Hell_ …?" Zapp grinned as he extended his arm at shoulder level, his lighter in his hand.

"Light it up…!" He exclaimed in his usual style.

He flicked the lighter cap starting the flame which then shot back on a thread, a blood-thread which, Leo noticed was just one part of a whole network of threads entangling the creature, restricting its movements.

"Zapp, NO….!" Klaus' eyes widened in realisation. "Not here…!"

The resulting explosion from Zapp's technique was huge and whether or not it did the creature any substantial harm was unknown, but it did cause a huge aftershock that resulted in the the upper floors crumbling down on them.

"Mr. Klaus…!" Leo shouted making his way past the debris as more of it came down on them.

"Leo…! Zapp…!"

Within minutes, the whole building was razed to the ground. Large amounts of dust and smoke engulfed the surrounding area but no further noise was heard.


End file.
